MEMBERS ATTENDING (12): Kevin Leyhane, Jim Leyhane, Andy Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Terry Brewer. and Pat Bailey. By Zoom: Becky Raymond and Charlie Foote.

GUESTS (2): Betty Brewer and Mary Alice Cardes.

President Kevin Leyhane called the meeting to order.

Theme for the Year: “Growing Fellowship and Service Locally and Globally.” 

Hybrid Meeting:  Please let Kevin Leyhane, Jim Leyhane or Roberto Martinez know if you plan to join the weekly meeting via Zoom.

Proxy Votes:  If unable to attend please submit your proxy votes to Kevin Leyhane. Proxy votes can also be submitted using the Remind App. Text to the number 81010.

MEETING NOTES

Guest Speakers, Meetings and Calendar:  The Calendar is filling up, make sure you check it when scheduling a speaker. There will be no scheduled meeting during the school break week for February 23rd. Becky Raymond suggested introductions before the meeting begins and giving members a chance to voice what is new in their lives before the meeting is adjourned. Roberto Martinez suggested that we schedule Club assemblies every six weeks. Phil Kellerman suggested asking if the Club could place a “Rotary Meets Here” sign at Moscatellio’s.

Albany Water Project Presentation: Len Tantillo, noted historical artist, and B.J. Costello will speak on March 9th about the proposed waterway in downtown Albany. Family and friends are encouraged to attend.

Clynk:  Please keep using Clynk. Theis is an easy way to raise funding for the Club’s projects.

Bylaws changes regarding Proxy votes: We are proposing to amend the bylaws to allow members to give their proxy vote to any board member who will be attending the meeting that the member will miss. Also, Terry Brewer has suggested decreasing the number of members to ten members to constitute a quorum at regular meetings.

Current Bylaw

Section 3: Twelve (12) members constitute a quorum at the regular meetings of this club. Written proxy votes submitted to the president in advance of a meeting may be counted toward achieving a quorum.

Proposed Changes:

Section 3:  Ten (10) members constitute a quorum at the regular meetings of this club.  Written and electronic proxy votes submitted in advance of the meeting to any board member attending the meeting the member will miss may be counted toward achieving a quorum.

Menu: Antipasto Salad, Penne in a pesto cream sauce, Rustica Salad and Chicken Florentine (5 chicken tenders sautéed in white wine with tomatoes and spinach over linguini) were added as menu items.

Cafe Capriccio Raffle:  The winner is …….Dick Drumm! There were 168 tickets sold. Thank you to all who participated. Special thanks to Terry Brewer and Andy Leyhane for planning and organizing the raffle.

Small Project Ideas: Currently, members suggested working on the Star of Hope Garden student memorial located by the WMCA. The stones need to be replaced and the garden refreshed. Roberto Martinez, Ron Anis, Dick Drumm, Jim Leyhane and Debbie Rodriguez will be meeting next week with the Town of Schodack about starting the Viking Gym project. It was also suggested that the Club plan a bowl-a-thon and plan service projects instead of having the traditional summer social meetings.

Districts Merge: Our three upstate NY districts (7150, 7170, and 7190) will become one district as of July 1, 2024. We are not looking at this as a “merger,” but as an opportunity to create something new, called CNY Rotary. You will have the opportunity to learn more about the direction CNY Rotary is heading.  We also encourage you to visit the CNY Rotary Website and visit the FAQ, and the Facebook page.

If you want to learn more about where the districts are in the creation of the new CNY Rotary, you are invited to attend the upcoming town hall meetings. To sign up for one or more Town Hall Events, please go to this link https://cnyrotary.org/ events/.

Rotaract: Per Becky Raymond, the Rotaract Board met earlier this week. They are planning a member meeting possibly combined with a social event. Ann Williams, US Peace Corp Recruiter, will be speaking at the School of Public Health about how the Peace Corps can be a step in a student’s career. This event is being sponsored by Rotaract. They are looking at planning a service and a social event every month. They also plan to participate in Healthy Kids Day at the YMCA on April 29th. Rotaract members were invited to attend a Rotary meeting.

Next Meeting: Thursday, February 2, dinner at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Our speaker will be Cathy Stone presenting on Therapy Dogs.

Entree choices will be Chicken Florentine, Meat Lasagna and Rustics Salad.